WHITE AUSTRALIA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 288, 6 December 1933, Page 12

WHITE AUSTRALIA

JAPAN NOT COVETOUS POOR COLONISING NATION DESIRE ONLY FOR MARKETS. The opinion that Australia has nothing to fear from the possibility of a Japanese invasion is expressed by Major L. Cassel, 0.8. E., of China, who has been credited by Sir Cecil Clementi, now Governor of Singapore, with having a knowledge of Far Eastern politics unapproachea by any other foreigner. Writing in The Critic, a Hongkong weekly review. Major Cassel says:— “There are many signs of a firm belief in Australia that Japan has been casting covetous eyes on the vast unoccupied spaces of Australia, with, as an immediate objective, the northern territories as a nucleus for Japanese colonisation and expansion. There is an obsession in Australia that the danger of this attack is an immediate one. California had the same mental disease for some time, but. since the advent of President Roosevelt, though subject to spasmodic outbursts, the disease was now not in the virulent stage. “Why should Japan attack?’ 7 asks Major Cassel. “If she had the slightest inclination or intention to expand her empire in the direction of Australia why did sh e not seize ‘X’ opportunity of the Great War, when other ‘scraps of paper’ were being lightly destroyed? There were two good reasons why Japan did not do so. The first was that Japan was completely loyal to her alliance, and tn© other that she did not want to be hampered by territorial possessions so far from home that in time of war she could not protect them.”

Hove of Own Country. “The British Empire was acquired when our naval supremacy was unchallenged. To-day such piratical schemes would be immediately challenged by at least four great Powers with navies more powerful than Japan’s, namely, Great Britain. France, America and Italy. “Japan is a brilliantly clever and cautious diplomatist, and one© who is intensely introspective. What is more, she is superlatively honest with herself. She once had colonial aspirations. Now she has realised that her people are poor colonists. The Japanese abroad thinks in terms of returning to Nippon. Formosa Korea, and even Manchuria still remain largely unpopulated by Japanese, though fertile and with a climate more lik e that of Japan than that of Australia. The Japanese in Austria would be largely an alien, and, though friendly with European people, the Japanese does not assimilate easily with them.” Taking Manchuria as an example, Major Cassel points out that Japan nas raised the population from 5,000,000 to 30,000,000, but by tho immigration of Chinese, not Japanese. Japan has developed the harbours, railways and mines, and. above all, the agriculture, but there is still only a sprinkling of Japanese in Manchuria and these are mostly doing executive work. Formerly Japan was an agricultural nation; to-day she has changed her outlook to one largely industrial. By exporting her industrial products she can purchase all she needs in the way of agricultural commodities and make a profit in doing so. Finally, by this change-over, she has retained her manhood handy in case of attack, keeping her powerful army, navy and air force at home ready, not to attack far-away Australia, but to defend her merchant shipping bringing supplies from neighbouring countries and to protect her long coastline. Selling Her Goods. ••.lauan wants markets for her goods.” continued Major Cassel, “and sparsely-populated countries with wideopen spaces like Australia have no at traction for her. There are bigger and better markets nearer home to buy her goods, the raw material for which she i- content to buy largely in Australia, so much so, in fact, that the balance of hade is largely in favour of Australia. This raw material she can got elsewhere in countries where the balance of trade might be in her favour. “Manchuria she has now secured as a market. The more Manchuria produces by her agriculture, carried over Japanese railways or in Japanese ships, the more manufactured goods can Japan sell to the people of Manchuria. In another quarter of a century there will be 190,900.000 Chinese in Manchuria ready to buy Japanese goods and supply her with agricultural products in part exchange. “Japan does not want any part of

Australia, but that does not say that she would not resent an insult and be quick to do so. T know Japan, and I know that, my diagnosis is a correct one, so let Australia sol] her wool to Japan and go about her business quietly, with the balance of trade in her favour. She will then find that nobody wants to or will interfere with her. It Australia will follow that advice, she can remain ‘white’ if for no other reason than that nobody wants her to be anything m«e, certainly not. Japan. ”